Affordable housing programme unstoppable, vows Ruto
President William Ruto remains steadfast in his commitment to the Affordable Housing initiative, declaring it unstoppable.
The head of state emphasised that he would not yield to pressure, dismissing what he referred to as “distractions from those who do not wish for the country’s progress”.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Pioneer Affordable Housing Project in Kapseret, Uasin Gishu County, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Dr Ruto asserted that individuals attempting to thwart the initiative have influenced the Kenyan Judiciary.
The head of state made these remarks ahead of the Appellate Court’s impending ruling on the fate of the Affordable Housing Plan.
In November 2023, the High Court declared the Housing Levy remittance as unconstitutional, citing a violation of the Constitution in its continued implementation.
The 2023 Affordable Housing Act mandates employees to contribute 1.5 percent of their salary towards the program, with employers required to remit a corresponding percentage.
The government appealed the decision, and the Supreme Court granted a reprieve pending judgment.
“This program is not stoppable; it is unstoppable,” Dr Ruto proclaimed to Eldoret residents.
He noted that the implementation of the initiative is already behind schedule, pointing out that countries adopting affordable housing plans have experienced significant growth since the inception of the idea.
In statements seemingly critical of his predecessor, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, Dr Ruto claimed that the construction of affordable housing units was disrupted by the Handshake between Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga in 2018.
The Affordable Housing Programme and Universal Health Care (UHC) were initially planned to commence in 2017, President Ruto stated, adding, but the Handshake and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) derailed these initiatives.
Addressing allegations of being urged to allocate funds to compromise the Judiciary, President Ruto stated, “They are advising me to have funds for lawyers to approach judges. I want to tell them; I do not have money for bribing courts. The funds I have are for developing the country”.
Instead, he reiterated his commitment to preventing courts from being compromised and pledged to focus on the country’s development.
President Ruto has been in conflict with the Judiciary, asserting that the High Court was compromised to halt the implementation of the affordable housing initiative by a group of individuals he claimed: “do not want to see Kenya transform for the better”.